Firing mechanism for guns.



A. Y. LEEGH, JR- FIRING MEGHANISM FOR GUNS. APPLIUATION FILED 10110.24, 1907.

925,642. Patented June 22,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

f/ZZZ Alfomqy A. Y. LEEGH, JR.

FIRING MEGHANI$M FOR GUNS. APPLICATION FILED DEG.24,1907.

I 925,642. Patented June 22, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTO/C A (Jr/Icy Patented June 22. 1909.

m R B V E N A m E a" W v m, if

m a h A 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TION OF VIRGINIA.

ABNER Y. LEEGH, JR., OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ORDNANCE COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORA- rmme- MECHANISM Foit GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909;

Y To all it may concern:

have invented a new and useful Be it known that I, ABNER Y. LEECH, Jr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

Improvement in Firing Mechanism for Guns, of

which the following is'a specification.

My invention relates to firing mechanism for guns and comprises improved means'for igniting the primer either electrically or by percussion.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanyin drawings, Which form part of this speci cation, and in which,

Figure l is a vertical section of the breech mechanism of a gun equipped with my invention; the breech block being shown closed and locked and the mechanism ready tobe operated electricall or percussively;Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. l, the firing pin being retracted and the block still locl;ed;.Fig/3, a view similar to Fig. l, the breech block being unlocked'ready for withdrawal; Fig.

fl,,,a..view-sim ilar to Fig. l, the firing mechanism being shown in the position assumed by the various parts at the moment of firing percussively; Fig. 5, ahorizontal section of the breech mechanism; Fig. 6, a rear elevation of the breech of a gun equipped with my invention andv Fig. 7 is a plan view partly broken away showing the operating bar of the breech mechanism. I

Referring to the drawings, A' represents the breech of a gun contalning my invention; having a central bore and powder chamber A and an eccentric breech chamber 7 A se mentally threaded, as at A. The

- suitable engagement between the gun and,

' operating-shaft Q and operates the breech breech lock B has correspondingly threaded ents B}, in the usual way, orother block may be ad.

. O is a breech blockcarrier, hinged to the gun at Q, and having a forwardly projecting hub ()C eccentric to the bore A, but concentricwith the breech'chamber. Thus hub fits acorresponding cavity. in the breech block and the latter revolves thereon in locking and unlocking. 7

An operating-lever L is engaged by the mechanism. 1 For this purpose a transversely sliding bar'Fis mounted in the carrier adjacent to the operating-lever L'and has a projections KFK slot-F engaged by a stud L on the operatinglever, whereby the swinging of the lever causes a sliding of the bar.- A slot F? in the frontface of a lug F on the bar enga es a stud B in the rear face of the breech b ock,

F is in excess of the diameter of the lug B whereby the first movement of the bar F retracts the pin D through the medium of the cam F 4 and lug D, but will not rotate the breech block until the bar F has moved a sufficient distance to bring the outer edge of the slot F into engagement with the In B.

lhe carrier hub is pierced by the longitudinal chamber C C. In this chamber is inserted and secured the firing case K, in which the firing mechanism, both electric and percussion, is secured and carried. The case K is secured in the carrier by the lug K and engages the breech ger K It is removed from the carrier by a partial revolution and withdrawal, the

having corresponding runouts.

The breech block B has a perforation B inits front face, expan din rearwardly into a recess B, to receive the firing pin D. The recess and perforation B are eccentric to the a is of the breech block and so disposed as to in axial alinement with the firing pin D and with the bore of the gun) only when the block B is in, its locked position: they will swing out of such alinement upon rotation of the block to unlock, comm finally to the relation with the firing pin and bore illustrated in Fig. 3. It is therefore impossible for the firing pin to move forward or fire the gun until the breech block is in its completely locked position, since in any other position the face B would prevent the forward movement. of. the pin D.

Secured and mounted in the firing case K is the firing pin D, which has a. contact block by the finpoint D,'for both electric and percussion firing, an angular shoulder D and a rearward projection D The spring D maintains the pin in contact with the primer P when the block is locked. The projection D extends through the rear of the firing case and has a suitable connection (D D) for the attachment of the electrical conductor (D The mechanism for firing-the gun percussively in conjunction with the firing pin D is mounted in the firin case K adjacent the projection D and in t e rear of the shoulder D of pin D. This mechanism consists of a hammer M telescoping with a sleeve M and a spring E incloscd between said hammer and sleeve. A pin M in the closed end of sleeve M enters a groove M in the hammer M locking together spring, hammer and sleeve and preventing rotation of the sleeve and hammer with relation to each other; A lever arm H pierces a slot M in hammer M and enga es the outer end M of sleeve M The arm is ada ted to be rotated through the medium of a s aft G which has one end detaehably keyed to the arm and provided at its other end with a trigger J to which a lanyard may be suitably secured.

N is a sear adapted to engage the hammer M when in its retracted position (see Fig. 1) 'The sear N is shown as a sleeve having one end closed and provided with a catch N adapted to engage a notch M of hammer M. A spring N mounted within the sear N normally tends to hold the catch N in engagement with the notch M". The scar N is released from engagement with hammer M by the rotation of the arm H whichv is rovided near its fulcrum point with a toe 1. which when the arm H has been 'sufliciently rotated engages an oppositely disposed toe N of the scar and causes a compression of the 5 ring N and the withdrawal of the catc N from the notch M.

The operation-of firing the gun percussively is as follows: The parts being in their normal positions )Fig. 1) the trigger J is pulled to-the rear y a lanyard rotating the shaft G and arm H. The arm H moves the sleeve'M forwardcompressing the s ring E. At this moment the sear N begins to old the hammer M from forward movement and continues to do so until the toe H of the arm H enga es the toe N of the sear and causes the withdrawal of the catch N from the notch -MT.. Upon such'withdrawal the hammer M flies forward under the influence of the compressed spring and strikes the shoulder D" of the firing pin D causing the in D to strike and explode the primer. hen the pull of the lanyard is released, the s ring'through the sleeve M forces the arm I? to the rear when it encounters the hammer M at the end of slot M. Since the spring exerts equal pressure in both directions-rearwardly against the arm H through the medium of the sleeve M at the point ii and forwardly against the hammer-the' rearward pressure of the spring against the extremities ll of the arm is equal to the forward pressure of the hammer against the middle portion of said arm at H and they tend to move the arm in opposite directions; but as the point of application of the force at H is at a greater distance from the fulcrum of the arm H than that of the force at ll its levera e predominates and the arm, and with it tie firing-hammer, is returned to its normal position (shown inFig. l) and the cycle of operations is complete.

When the term combined electric and percussion firingmechanism occurs in the specification and claims it is intended to indicate thatthe operator may utilize either the electric or percussive element to fire the gun.

I claim:

- 1. The combination with a breech-loading gun, of a breech block revoluble eccentrically to the bore and a combined electric and percussion firing mechanism.

2. The combination with a breech-loading gun, of a breech block revoluble eccentrically to the bore and opened to the rear,

and a combined electric and percussion firing mechanism.

3. The combination with a breech-loading gun in which'the breech block is arranged eccentric to the bore and secured in operative relation thereto by an interrupted thread; of a combined electric-percussion firing mechanism.

4. The combination with the rotatable breech block of a gun, of a firing pin havin a contact oint normall rojecting beyon the face 0 the breech b 05:, means for connecting it with an electric conductor, means for retracting the firing pin before the initial rotation of the block in unlocking and for radually moving-the pin forward as the bloc r is locked.

5. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block,- a firing in adapted to fire the an electrically, an a normally retracted firing hammer adapted to strike the pin and fire the gun percussively.

6. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a breech block revoluble eccentrically to the bore a firing pin having a contact point normaily rojecting beyond the face of the breech blocl r means or connecting it with an electric conductor, means for com letely retractin the firing pin before the initial rotation o the block in unlockin and for gradually moving the in forward to its normal osition as the bloc is locked.

7. The c ination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block eccentric to the bore, a firing pin adapted to fire the gun gun; of a rotatable breech electrically, and a normally retracted firing hammer adapted to strike the pin and fire the gun percussively.

8. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a breech block 'revoluble eccentrically to the axis of the bore and a com bined electric-percussion 'firing pin constantly supported in the axis of the bore.

9. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a breech block revoluble eccentrically to the axis of the bore, a carrier, and a combined electric-percussion firing pin constantly supported inthe axis of the bore by the carrier.

10. The combination with a breech-loading block and a combined electric-percussion firing pin having a fixed position with relation to the gun, saidbreech-block having an aperture alined with the firing pin when the block is locked and out of alinement with said pin when the block is partially or wholly unlocked.

11. The combination with a breech-loadin gun; of a rotatable breech block, a combine electric-percussion firing pin and a barrier interposed between the pin point and the primer of the charge in the partially or wholly unlocked posit-ion of said block.

12. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block, a combined electric-percussion firing pin, and a shiftable barrier adapted to be interposed between the firing pin point and the. rlmerof the charge in the partially or who] y unlocked position of said block.

13. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of rotatable breech block eccentric I, to the axis of the bore, a combined electric and percussion firin mechanism and means constituting a barrier to said mechanism in-the partially or wholly unlocked position ofsaid block. 4 v

14. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a' rotatable breech block eccentric to the axis of the bore, a firing pinadapted to fire the gun electrically, and a firing hammer adapted to strikethe pin and fire the gun percussively.

15. The combination with a breech-load ing gun; of a rotatable breech block, a 1 .pin ada a not-ma ly retracted firing hammer mounted independently of the firing pin' and-adapted to strike same to fire the gun 'perenssively.

16. The combination with a breech-load? ing gun; of a rotatable pin adapted to fire the gun electrically; and a hammer adapted to strike the pin and fire the gun percussively, and means for retractbreech block, a firingffv ing the pin from and re lacing it in its normal position without e ect on the actuating mechanism of the hammer.

17. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block eccentric to the axis of the bore, a firing'head having a stem secured thereto out of alinement with said head through the medium of a shoulder for firing the gun electrically, and a firing hammer in alinement with said head adapted to strike same and fire the gun percussively.

18. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block eccentric to the axis of the bore, a firing pin adapted to fire the gun electrically and a continuous pull firing hammer adapted to strike-the pin and fire the gun percussively.

19. The combination with a tric t0 the axis of the bore, a carrier, a firing case mounted in said carrier, a combination electric-percussion firing device secured in the firing case, said firing case interlocking with the block and carrier.

2O. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block, afiring pin adapted tofire the gun electrically, a firing hammer adapted to strike the pin and fire the gun percussively and means for retracting said pin from and replacing it in its normal position independent of the hammer.

21. The combination with a breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block eccentric to the axis of the bore, a combined electric-percussion firing pin and a transversely movable member adapted to retract said pin pefore the initial rotation of the block to unock.

22. In breech-loading gun, a member rotatable eccentrically to the axis of the bore of the gun, a firing pin projecting through said member and adapted to re the gun electrically, and a firing hamm r adapted to strike the pin and fire the g percussively.

23. In a breech-loading n, a member rotatableeccentrically to the axis of the bore Q of the gun, a firing pin adapted to fire the U gun electrically, and a normally retracted ted to' fire the gun electrica ly, anj

a ring hammer adapted to strike the pin and "fire the gun percussively.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speeification in the presence of "two subscribing witnesses.

I' ABNER Y. LEECH, JR. In presence 0 EDITH S'rowELL, HENRY T. BRIGHT.

breech-loading gun; of a rotatable breech block eccen- 

